Marvel legend dies at 95
Marvel legend Stan Lee, who revolutionised pop culture as the co-creator of iconic superheroes like Spider-Man and The Hulk, has died. He was 95.
Lee, the face of comic book culture in the US, died early on Monday in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He had suffered a number of illnesses in recent years.
“My father loved all of his fans,” his daughter told Hollywood monitor TMZ. “He was the greatest, most decent man.”
The New Yorker, known for his distinctive tinted glasses and impish grin, frequently appeared at fan events where he was revered.
Lee ended up in comics by accident, thanks to an uncle who got him a job when he was a teenager filling artists’ inkwells and fetching coffee.
“I felt someday I’d write the Great American Novel and I didn’t want to use my real name on these silly little comics,” he once said, explaining why he had forsaken his given name, Stanley Lieber.
Lee rose through the ranks to become a comics writer, making millions of superhero fans dream of his fantastic universes and humans with extraordinary powers, and eventually led the Marvel empire for decades as its publisher.
From Spidey to Black Panther to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, Lee collaborated with other authors and illustrators to put his lively imagination on the page. Iron Man, Thor and Doctor Strange would follow – and today, all three heroes have multi-film franchises that rake in hundreds of millions of dollars. – AFP